Packers inform Chillar he has been released
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel
Updated: July 29, 2011 9:03 a.m. |(47) Comments
The Green Bay Packers released linebacker Brandon Chillar Friday morning, raising questions about whether the league is being unfair to players who were injured while training during the lockout.
Chillar, who severely pulled a hamstring during personal workouts, was told that he had been let go. There was no way he was going to pass his physical, but the Packers could have put him on the physically unable to perform list if they thought he could come back from the injury.
Given Chillar is coming off shoulder surgery, it's possible the combination of injuries made it likely he wouldn't play this year and the Packers decided to move forward without him. I'll know more about the process in which this occurred later.
Chillar signed a four-year, $19 million contract that included $7 million over the first year back in December of 2009. He was due to make $2 milion in base salary, $300,000 in a roster bonus and $300,000 in a workout bonus this year.
As a result of his release, the Packers will gain $1.8 million in salary cap space. That's his $2.6 million earnings in 2011 minus $800,000 of pro-rated signing bonus money left in 2012 and '13.
Through the release of linebacker Nick Barnett, end Justin Harrell, linebacker Brady Poppinga and Chillar, general manager Ted Thompson has sliced of $10.4 million off the Packers' salary cap. He started out right at the $120 million limit.
I've been told the June 1 rules still apply under this collective bargaining agreement, so that means all of the pro-rated signing bonus money in future years gets pushed to next year instead of this year. So, the Packers will gain all $2.6 million of Chillar's earning this year and will take a charge of $800,000 next year.
Through the release of linebacker Nick Barnett, end Justin Harrell, linebacker Brady Poppinga and Chillar, general manager Ted Thompson has sliced off $12.7 million of the Packers' salary cap. Those same cuts will cost him $2.48 million next year because of the pro-rated shares left over in each player's contract.
The Packers were right at the $120 million salary cap mark at the start of free agency.
Kicker Mason Crosby's deal will account for more cap money spent and so will each of the draft choices the Packers sign.